Manager instructed unsafe use of heavy-duty concrete core drill

A construction worker suffered permanent damage to his arm after being told by his site manager to use a heavy-duty core drill by hand on a construction site in Huddersfield. The injured man was part of a construction team working at a former Somerfield store site in August 2009.

The 32-year-old worker was instructed by site manager Matthew Saville to remove a 34 kilogram, one-metre high, diamond core drill from its stand and hand-hold it to tackle a job. Instructions provided with the drill specifically prohibited hand-held use.

The rotating core of the drill snagged on the blockwork and the body of the drill, which was being held, began to rotate. The workman man was spun round fracturing his arm and causing cuts to his head. He was hospitalalised for 12 days and had three operations on his arm including the insertion of permanent plates.

Site managers must pause to consider potential risks

Matthew Saville of Oldham was prosecuted for failing in his responsibilities to properly manage the construction site under his control. Mr Saville pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £2,388 in prosecution costs.

HSE Inspector Martin Hutton said after the hearing:

“Mr Saville allowed his eagerness to get a job done to take priority over the safety of a worker. He failed to pause for a short time to consider the potential risks associated with using the drill in this way. Ultimately, this has led to a serious injury.

Construction has one of the highest fatality and injury levels of any industry. This incident, and others like it, could have been prevented by taking a few simple steps to identify and control the risks involved.

Professional site management includes responsibility for managing the building process to ensure it is carried out without risk to health and safety. We will continue to take enforcement action against those who fail to take measures to prevent those risks.”